This invention relates to an improved web winder and compensator apparatus, preferably of an easy threading and a space-saving, self-contained construction, with automatic web winding speed compensating controls for selectively winding or unwinding at a uniform tension a roll of traveling continuous web material being selectively fed from or taken-up by an associated mechanism.
In various manufacturing operations for producing textiles, felts, papers, films, etc., it is necessary to wind or unwind a roll of traveling continuous web material being processed in the manufacturing operation as it is being fed from or taken up by an associated mechanism. This is particularly true in the textile field with various machines utilized during the manufacture and finishing of the textile fabric, such as tenter frames, cloth inspection stations, etc. As the cloth is fed from a tenter frame mechanism, for example, it is desirable to wind the cloth under uniform tension into a super or jumbo roll of cloth for transportation to subsequent processing operations. Also, for example, during the inspection of cloth at various stages of its manufacture and finishing operations, it is necessary to unwind a jumbo or super roll of cloth at a uniform tension for inspection thereof by an operator.
Although various mechanisms and apparatus have been proposed for these and other winding and unwinding operations, problems have been presented in maintaining a uniform tension in the web material being wound and unwound and in the provision of adequate floor space for such winding apparatus inasmuch as floor space is usually at a premium in most manufacturing plants. The problems with the maintaining of uniform tension during the winding and unwinding operations result from variable speeds of feed from an associate mechanism or variable speeds of take-up by an associated mechanism. Unless this variable speed and resulting variable tension is compensated for, the resulting wound or unwound roll will have undesirable characteristics.
Additionally, most of the heretofore proposed winding mechanisms have been of the center drive type in which the mandrel or roll upon which the web of material is being wound is directly driven for winding or unwinding a roll of the continuous web material. With the use of this type of mechanism, the speed of rotation of the mandrel must be compensated for in accordance with the increasing or decreasing diameter of the roll being wound or unwound. Althrough proposals have been made for compensating for this increasing and decreasing diameter or the roll of web material being wound or unwound, the prior proposed mechanisms have suffered from drawbacks in compensating for both the variable tension in the traveling web as a result of varying speeds of feed as well as compensating for the increasing diameter of the roll of web material being wound or unwound.
Some of the proposals for winding or unwinding rolls of continuous web material have included compensator devices of the dancing roll type which include stationary rolls and movable rolls in which the movable rolls move toward or away from the stationary rolls to increase or decrease the length of the path of travel of the continuous web through the compensator mechanism for maintaining uniform tension in the compensator mechanism. However, these types of compensator mechanisms have presented problems in threading up of the continuous web material therethrough inasmuch as the movable rolls and stationary rolls define a sinuous path of travel for the web material therethrough and, therefore, require considerable effect in threading of the continuous web material through this sinuous path of travel.
Moreover, these types of compensator mechanisms are normally large and space consuming and heretofore have been mounted on the floor of the manufacturing plant adjacent the winding mechanism and adjacent the associated mechanism from which the web material is being fed or taken up by. Accordingly, usable floor space is consumed by these compensator mechanisms.